Worth throwing in the mix: I'm just about done with The Great Disruption. It paints a pretty convincing argument that Energy (and the related Climate issues) are destined for government takeover or ultra-regulation in the near (3-10 years) future. The argument is that we're so totally fucked otherwise that it basically HAS to happen, and when people start observing the collapse of the environment around them, they'll change their tunes about how much it costs.

Emperors Reckoning wrote:Which brings me to my real point. President Obama hasn't failed in ANY of the points you've brought up, Matt. YOU have. Your job as a citizen didn't stop when you pulled the lever to register your vote for the man. If YOUR Congress isn't sending the legislation that YOU want to YOUR President, then you need to get on the phone, and start letting them know that they need to spend less time snapping pictures of their cocks and start putting out the bills that YOU want.

So now that I'm pissed off enough again and actually reading all the responses-

Let me say I called and left a message on the machine like you asked. Guess what? The debt ceiling bill still didn't turn out the way I wanted. What else should I do in my job as a citizen?

As for the actual reasons behind the increase in health insurance, of course I know Obamacare did not cause it to go up directly. But guess what? Our company just got our new plan and it's costs are up 15% over last year. They were up last year, too. Duncan, I'd love to compare our respective programs and see if there really is a better deal. Maybe if Obamacare promised to lower health care costs, I'd get more excited about it. But IIRC, all it does is extend coverage to more people and disallow providers from dropping sick people. It does not address costs in a meaningful way.

mattbird wrote:Let me say I called and left a message on the machine like you asked. Guess what? The debt ceiling bill still didn't turn out the way I wanted. What else should I do in my job as a citizen?

As for the actual reasons behind the increase in health insurance, of course I know Obamacare did not cause it to go up directly. But guess what? Our company just got our new plan and it's costs are up 15% over last year. They were up last year, too. Duncan, I'd love to compare our respective programs and see if there really is a better deal. Maybe if Obamacare promised to lower health care costs, I'd get more excited about it. But IIRC, all it does is extend coverage to more people and disallow providers from dropping sick people. It does not address costs in a meaningful way.

Well, Matt, what you should do is keep calling. Whenever something doesn't go the way that you had thought your representatives should make it go, you should let them know, clearly and calmly, and if necessary, repeatedly. And in as informed a manner as you can. And encourage everyone you know to do the same. The debt ceiling thing did not go the way I wanted it to go either, but it did not go the way, I REALLY didn't want it to go, which was for it not to pass under any circumstances.

And let me say something about that. The debt ceiling was not the issue. That is a rubber-stamp topic that you and I really should never have heard about. It is, in fact, a total non-issue. The debt itself, of course, IS, but that is another topic entirely. What just happened, (as in - WTFJH?) is that a group of legislators found what they thought was a road to power. We'll see how that works out for them.

No one is going to listen to your voice message, and say "Holy shit! Matt Birdoff doesn't like where the debt ceiling thing is going! We'd better fix that shit right now!" By the way, you DID identify yourself and include contact information, didn't you? What is going to make a difference is when they get the idea that Matt Birdoff and EVERY VOTER HE KNOWS don't like where the debt ceiling is going. Or energy. Or civil rights. Or anything. Over and over and over. And then you have to vote. And let candidates know why you are voting that way, BEFORE the elections.

And keep one very, very important fact in mind: the President does not set the budget, nor does he make laws. All he can do is use his influence, and finally, veto. And he doesn't even get to bat last on that. Your representatives and senators are the ones you have to keep on top of. Those bitches work for YOU, and if you ever, for a second let them forget it, they will ass-rape you with no lube. You let them know that you are watching their votes, in the chamber and committee. You make sure that they know you don't trust them any more than bodega owner trusts a nephew on the till. And you never. fucking. stop.

You know why the Radical Left and Moral Majority (sic) and the Tea Party have so much influence? Because they won't shut up. Silence and fuming are a crap counter to yahoos that won't shut up.

I'll tell you a story. Kid gets born into a family. Good folks. Working class. Lots of kids. Catholic maybe, or Hindu, maybe Orthodox, who knows. Lots of kids. This kid, he gets to be a year old, doesn't make a sound. Doesn't laugh, cry, "dada", nothing. This goes on for years. Family takes him to the doctor. Doctor says he's okay. See a specialist, he says. Family can't afford a specialist, so they just live it. Goes on for more years. Kid says nothing. One day, the kid's five or so, everybody is a t breakfast. Eating oatmeal. Big family, not a lot of money, they eat a lot of oatmeal. Kid sits down and takes a bite. Puts his spoon down. Pushes the bowl away. Looks over at his mother and says, "Oatmeal's cold." There's pandemonium. Everyone is amazed. His mother says, "You can talk! Why didn't you say anything before?" Kid shrugs. "Nothing was ever wrong before."